It had been a few days since the drunken storm. Since Lily raged at a cardboard standee and cried into Taehyung's passenger seat. Since she woke up in his apartment, wearing his shirt and a pounding head full of things she half-remembered and half-regretted.
They hadn't talked about it, and maybe that was for the best. Or perhaps it was just their way, pretending not to notice the earthquake if the walls hadn't crumbled.
The message came on a Thursday:
"Hey. Picnic with some friends this weekend. 3 days. Bring your antisocial self. I'll drive."
Lily stared at her phone and smiled. No fluff. No overthinking. Just him, asking her to come along like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Of course she said yes.
She arrived at the meeting point in her usual: oversized shirt, beat-up denim jeans, and her old reliable Converse. A little faded. A little stubborn. Very her.
Then Taehyung walked in like he'd fallen out of a damn editorial. Flowy linen shirt. Cropped trousers. Gold accents. Sunglasses pushed into his hair like an afterthought from heaven.
Some of the girls in the group nudged each other, whispering behind their hands. Lily didn't mind. Tae didn't either.
When their eyes met, they grinned. Just happy the other showed up.
"These are the friends I filmed with in Mexico," Tae said, gesturing to a group of actors, models, and artists who all looked like they stepped out of an indie drama. "Guys, this is Lily. She punches people."
"I'm retired," she corrected, offering a wave. "Only punch on weekends now."
Laughter rippled. The tension melted.
Introductions flew, names blurred, snacks were passed around, playlists debated. Everyone had someone they brought along. A boyfriend. A girlfriend. A best friend. A maybe-more.
Tae had brought Lily.
No one questioned it aloud. But eyes lingered longer than necessary.
Naturally, they rode in his car. Lily tossed her duffle in the back while Tae adjusted the AUX cord with the precision of a man selecting the vibe of the entire trip.
The windows were down. The sun was soft. And for once, his playlist didn't start with jazz, it started with a summer song she hadn't heard in years.
"I didn't even know you had this track," she said, smiling.
"I didn't," he grinned. "Jungkook gave me a bunch of 'vibe' folders before he left."
"Ah. The holy archives."
They laughed.
Tae drove with one hand, the other tapping to the beat on the steering wheel, and he talked. Not just small talk--really talked. Excited about the campsite. About grilled corn. About setting up tents and maybe renting bikes.
Lily watched him. Listened and slowly, the years peeled back.
It had been so long since she'd seen this version of him, light, talkative, completely present.
For a moment, she forgot the ache. Forgot that somewhere between them lived a night they never mentioned.
All she saw was Tae, window down, hair a mess, telling a story about a stray dog in Mexico that followed him on set.
Her chest tugged.
She had almost forgotten how much he loved being outside. How the world made him softer. Brighter.
And maybe... it was a good thing she came.
Maybe, for now, this was enough.
***
The hike was no joke. Even the actors who claimed to do their own stunts were wheezing halfway through the incline.
By the time they reached the cluster of villas nestled halfway up the mountain, everyone looked like they'd just survived a survival reality show.
Everyone except Lily.
While the others dropped their bags like war survivors, she stood at the edge of the balcony, eyes lit with that unmistakable spark—like the air up here had oxygen laced with magic.
The villas were sleek and modern, carved into the slope like secrets. Glass walls. Wooden floors. Quiet luxury.
Taehyung and Lily were staying in Villa C, along with one of his co-stars--Lee Cesar.
He was already there when they arrived, coffee in hand, calm as if he'd floated up the mountain.
Lily found him in the kitchen, framed by sunlight and ceramic.
"Hello," she said, offering a polite smile.
"Coffee?" he asked, already reaching for another cup.
"Thanks," she replied, accepting the pink mug without hesitation.
They drifted to the balcony like two strangers at peace in the same quiet.
The view was unreal. Rolling green below them. Peaks layered like watercolors. Silence deep enough to rest in.
"Isn't Taehyung tired?" Cesar asked after a while, breaking the stillness gently.
"Dead to the world," Lily chuckled. "Collapsed face-first on the bed."
"And you're not tired?"
She sipped. Shrugged. "Former boxer. Hiking's a warm-up."
Cesar raised a brow. "That explains a lot."
She smirked. "Like what?"
"Like how you didn't even break a sweat. And the part where you looked ready to race us up the hill."
Lily laughed, soft and unguarded.
He set his mug down, his voice turning thoughtful. "You two seem close."
"We are," she said, not hesitating.
He didn't pry. Just waited.
"We've been friends since college. Five years now. And despite his wild schedule, he's… always been my constant."
Cesar nodded slowly, like he understood more than he let on.
"That's rare," he said. "Finding a constant in this kind of world. Most of us don't have that."
She looked at him, curious. "So… you have one?"
He grinned. "I have a cat."
Lily gasped dramatically. "No way. Same!"
"Orange tabby?" he guessed.
"Yes! He's bipolar. Affectionate one second, kung-fu master the next."
"Main coon," Cesar replied proudly. "Huge. Regal. Won't move unless bribed. Might be the queen of the household."
They both laughed—light and effortless.
And that was the exact moment Taehyung opened the sliding door behind them.
He stopped mid-step.
His eyes landed on Lily first—smiling, relaxed, coffee in hand. Then on Cesar—leaning back slightly, expression open, clearly enjoying her company.
Tae didn't say anything right away. Just stood there.
Something in his chest stirred. Not jealousy exactly—he trusted her, but a flicker of something he hadn't felt in years.
Displacement.
Lily turned at the sound of the door. Her face brightened when she saw him.
"Hey, sleepyhead."
"You two bonding over cat trauma?" Tae asked, playing casual as he stepped out.
Cesar chuckled. "Your friend's cat sounds violent."
"Her cat once bit my ankle while I was eating cereal," Tae muttered.
"It was one time!" Lily argued, laughing.
Taehyung smiled, but the back of his mind was already echoing something she said earlier:
He's always been my constant.
And suddenly, the air at this altitude felt thinner.
***
The sun was beginning its slow descent, casting golden ribbons across the fog-laced mountains. The sky painted itself in blush, amber, and violet streaks, like nature was casually showing off.
Most of the group had gathered outside the villas, phones out, capturing what little signal and light they could.
But Lily?
She had already wandered to the cliffside, alone, right at the edge.No fear. No filter. No hurry.
The wind whipped her hair in every direction, but she didn't care.She stood tall, arms loosely folded, her silhouette framed against the mist-drenched view like a painting that didn't need a caption.
Behind her, the sound of other girls squealing broke the stillness.
"Oh my god, my hair!"
"This wind is literally criminal."
"I just curled it!"
Lily scoffed under her breath. "It's a mountain, not a runway."
That's when she felt it.
A hand (his hand) resting gently on the small of her back. Just above the waistband of her jeans. Warm. Familiar. Grounding.
She didn't even flinch. Her body knew the touch before her mind did.
Taehyung.
He stepped beside her, wind tugging at his shirt, his eyes following the horizon.
Then, with no warning, he grinned and gave her a sudden push forward toward the edge.
Not a full shove, just enough to make her shriek in terror, while his other hand stayed firm on her shoulder to catch her if she actually stumbled.
"TAEHYUNG!" she screamed, echoing through the entire valley.
From the villas, heads turned at the scream. Startled birds flocked out of the trees.
Taehyung, meanwhile, was already bent over laughing, struggling to breathe.
"Oh my god--your face!" he wheezed. "Priceless!"
"You absolute menace," Lily growled, smacking his arm. Once. Twice. Four times. She chased him in a circle, swatting him like he was a mosquito that insulted her entire family.
"I swear to every deity in this godforsaken mountain, I will end you, Kim Taehyung!"
"Okay! Okay! Sorry! Ow, that actually hurts, Lil!"
"Do you know how many birds I startled?? I could've woken some ancient beings in here and haunt me in my sleep!"
"You're still into that?"
Lily groaned.
The others couldn't help but laugh. Some gasped at her shameless assault on a globally beloved idol, while others recorded, thoroughly entertained.
Taehyung finally raised his hands in surrender, still giggling, cheeks flushed from laughter.
That's when Cesar appeared, calm as always, with a mug of tea in hand.
"Enjoying the view, Lily?" he asked, amused.
She straightened, hair still a bird's nest from the chaos, face flushed, half from rage, half from embarrassment.
"I think I just woke every animal in the forest."
Cesar laughed, eyes darting from her to Taehyung, who was now standing just behind her again, biting his lip, clearly trying not to burst into another laughing fit.
Lily shot Tae a death glare, to which he responded by mouthing "Sorry not sorry."
Cesar shook his head. "You two have a very… dynamic energy."
"You mean violent," Lily muttered, sipping from her water bottle like it was whiskey.
"I mean entertaining," Cesar corrected with a smirk.
The sun dipped lower, and everyone began settling onto blankets and outdoor cushions, getting ready for the night ahead, grilled food, light music, and late-night confessions.
But that moment on the cliff? That chaos? That hand on her back, that scream, that laughter? It lingered.
Just like everything else they wouldn't say.